Late applications for WC school closes on Sunday

Parents and guardians who have still not applied for their child to be in Grade 1 and 8 in a school in the Western Cape, have until Sunday to do so.

These applications will be flagged as 'late' and considered after the applications received during the month-long on time window. The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) said it received late applications for an additional 11 464 learners, since the on-time admissions window closed on 12 April 2024. This brings the total number of learners whose parents have submitted applications for Grades 1 and 8 in 2025 to 114 144 learners.

PICTURE: Pixabay

Education MEC, David Maynier, said the overwhelming majority of these applications (87%) have been captured on the online system by parents themselves.

‘’The online admissions system is zero-rated and does not use any data. If parents need in-person help capturing their application, they can visit their education district office for assistance. We thank the parents who have already applied so far, as they are helping us to plan better for a place for their child in a school next year.’’

The MEC urged parents of Grade 1 and 8 learners who decide to relocate to the Western Cape after late online applications close on 12 May 2024, or who did not apply before this date for any other reason, to contact their district office for assistance as soon as possible thereafter.

Maynier says parents will start seeing the outcomes of their on-time applications online from 30 May 2024, whereby parents must then accept or decline successful offers before 14 June 2024.

‘’It is especially important for parents to confirm their choice of school speedily when they have received offers from multiple schools. These parents are essentially ‘double parking’ on the system, stopping schools from offering these places to other applicants until they make their choice.’’

‘’If a parent has not confirmed their choice by 14 June 2024, the system will automatically confirm their top-ranked school that has made an offer. All other offers will then be removed, so that those places can be offered to other learners,’’

‘’Parents who do not receive an offer on 30 May 2024 should not be disheartened: places always open up as parents confirm their final choices. We will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to place every learner whose parents applied on time as quickly as possible,’’ said David Maynier, Education MEC.

Meanwhile, the window for Grade R applications and transfer requests for Grades 2 – 7 and 9 – 12 will run from 1 to 16 August 2024.

 

Done by: Mitchum George